PCA 2021: Sindicato

The PCA Convention & Trade Show provides an interesting lens through which to look at certain cigar companies. As part of the process of getting this post written, I went back to look at some of our earlier coverage of Sindicato, mainly to refresh my memory about when the company debuted—2013—as well as what it looked like when it did. As you might recall, the company made waves when it debuted as it was launched as a retailer-owned brand, but one that didn’t necessarily involve retailer-exclusive cigars. Rather, it would be a fairly substantial group of retailers both in number and size of stores coming together to launch and grow a brand.

Now in its eighth year, it’s been interesting to see how the brand’s presence at the PCA Convention & Trade Show has changed. It was in 2019 that the company moved into the Gurkha booth, something that seemed to come about after Sinidcato’s president and ceo, Jim Colucci, was named coo and president of Gurkha in addition to his role with Sindicato. From there, Gurkha’s sales representatives would be able to sell Sindicato’s products, even though Colucci was clear that the two would remain separate entities. In 2019, that lined seemed to blur just a bit, as Sindicato was part of Gurkha’s booth, a move that was repeated again this year. Unfortunately, just by walking by the booth, you might not know Sindicato is inside, as there aren’t any logos on the corners, so it’s a matter of either knowing the relationship or happening to see the company’s products in one of the display cases.

Sindicato Artista

Over the years, Sindicato has worked with some fairly well-knowns factories to produce its cigars, and this year, the company is putting its most recent collaborator front and center. The Sindicato Artista comes from Tabacalera El Artista in the Dominican Republic—which also happened to produce a pair of new lines for Gurkha this year. The cigars weren’t quite ready to display, though there were some unbanded samples being handed out for retailers and others to try.

• Wrapper: Ecuador (Corojo)
• Binder: Ecuador (Sumatra)
• Filler: Dominican Republic (Olor and Criollo) & Undisclosed (Broadleaf)

• Sindicato Artista Robusto (5 x 52) — $7.50 (Box of 20, $150)
• Sindicato Artista Toro (6 x 54) — $8 (Box of 20, $160)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: September/October 2021